Santa Cruz CA

Over the past year, there has been a sharp spike in acts of hatred and intolerance targeting African Americans, Jews, Muslims, LGBTQ community members, immigrants, women and individuals who hold divergent ideological and political views. Our research and monitoring indicate that this is most problematic on college campuses, where we find that one group’s freedom of expression is being used to denigrate, harass, intimidate and shut down the expression of another group, depriving students of their rights and undermining the very mission of a university. AMCHA has been working with universities across the country to encourage the adoption of equitable responses to exclusionary behavior and the implementation of initiatives that educate students about First Amendment rights and encourage tolerance and respect for the expression of a wide range of views. While our organization focuses primarily on protecting Jewish students from intolerant behavior that is anti-Semitic, we believe the entire campus benefits when all students are ensured equal protection from exclusionary behavior. In California, the Free Speech on Campus Act will go a long way toward that goal of restoring civility and respect on UC, CSU and California Community College campuses, and upholding the pillars of higher education that will benefit our state and our nation for years to come.